The present invention generally relates to color-changing and pattern-changing apparatus and, more particularly, to active camouflage configurations for use in hunting, military, artistic and other related endeavors.
Recently developed active camouflage techniques incorporated into vehicles, for example, rely on digital cameras, active matrix displays (e.g., LCD screens), a central processor, and significant power supply sources. In these systems, the camera is used to transmit images of the environment of the vehicle to a processor in real-time. The process can then manipulate the display to produce a variable image that effectively camouflages the vehicle as a function of visual information received from the camera. Such systems are costly, elaborate and rely on significant power usage. In more demanding environments, such as in military applications, such systems may not be reliable, require components having too much weight (e.g., the power source), and/or are too costly to justify in terms of their benefits. As such, there is a need for active camouflage systems that are reliable, simple in terms of quantities of components, and use little energy in operation.